View full sizeMerritt Paulson has been very visible with his team and vocal at times on social media, but that shows the amount of passion and fire he has for his club. The entire organization had a trying 2012 season with upheaval in the roster and coaching staff, and with many of the changes now in place, the hope is that the new talent will provide the catalyst for the team to secure their first MLS Cup.Kip Kesgard, community blogger

With the Portland Timbers starting their 2012 season this weekend, I wanted to take some time to highlight Major League Soccer and other aspects of the team before the Timbers home opener. In this entry, we take a look at the folks guiding the Timbers on and off the pitch, the front office, coaches and broadcast team.

The Portland Timbers went into 2012 with such high hopes after a stellar 2011 that saw them nearly earn a playoff berth in their first campaign. After the season opening win over Philadelphia, the team struggled to find its identity or any consistency with the on-the-pitch product. While Portland has been dreadful on the road with just three road wins in two seasons, 2012 saw the team lose much of the confidence they'd gained through creating an unbeatable mentality at JELD-WEN Field. The performance issues got to the point where the team made several player adjustments and made a coaching switch in July, citing a need to establish a course that could build the foundation they've been searching for. While it's still early in the Caleb Porter era for Portland, the actions taken by the team have made it perfectly clear they are on board with his blueprint.

Porter has amassed an impressive coaching resume after playing at the University of Indiana and playing three seasons in MLS for San Jose and TampaBay. A serious of injuries cut short his playing career, so he returned to Indiana as an assistant coach before being named the head coach at the University of Akron. While not exactly a household name to some sports fans, Akron became a hotbed of collegiate soccer under Porter's direction. Between 2006 and 2012, the Zips won one NCAA Championship, made several appearances in the postseason tournament, and boast several alums that have gone on to play professionally throughout the world. Porter is highly regarded for his success in player development and strategic organization, and his teams have achieved several outstanding results.

View full sizeTimbers Coach Caleb Porter has changed the complexion of the Timbers in many aspects, from their on-the-pitch tactics to their approach to game day and daily activities within the club. While he preaches possession with purpose on offense, he is also striving for players to use that same purposeful approach to practice, community appearances and other activities when representing the team.Jennifer Kesgard, community blogger

While his USMNT U-23 team didn't qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, their record during qualifying was amongst the best in the pool, but they unfortunately lost key qualifying matches. What impressed me in the short time I've been able to chat with Porter is his attention to detail and ability to translate that into his vision. The team has undergone a dramatic change in their offensive philosophy from a direct style play to more of a possession oriented approach that capitalizes upon speed and athleticism, and the team has responded well so far. As Porter has put it on numerous occasions, it's important to have players buy in to the changes, and they've kept the core of the group that has embraced the direction while bringing in others to help reinforce that message.

It does help Porter's cause greatly that the team has surrounded him with experienced assistants to help employ the new direction. Sean McAuley joined the Timbers in July 2012 as an assistant coach after Technical Director Gavin Wilkinson became the interim coach, and he began to assume much of the direct coaching in finishing the 2012 season. McAuley was also a former USL Timber in his lengthy career, but once his playing days were done, McAuley went into coaching with English side Sheffield Wednesday. In his seven plus years with Wednesday, McAuley led the club's academy head coach although he was caretaker manager for the First Team on two occasions in his tenure. Experienced, savvy and articulate, McAuley brings plenty to the coach's core, but he's not the only one with an impressive resume.

Amos Magee has been with the Timbers since 2009 after several years coaching in Minnesota upon completing a stellar USL career with the Minnesota Thunder, and has translated his vast playing experience into success on the coaching front. Mike Toshack returns as goalkeeper coach, and during his tenures in Houston, Toronto and Portland, all three clubs have produced some of the best statistical performances by goalkeepers during the respective MLS seasons. From Pat Onstad to Stefan Frei to Troy Perkins to Donovan Ricketts to Milos Kocic, Toshack has an exceptional track record of getting the most from keepers, and I expect that trend to continue this year. Finally, former USL Timber Cameron Knowles returns for his second season as assistant. Knowles also enjoyed a lengthy career in the USL and MLS before his career ended in 2011, but he ranks amongst the best defenders in the history of the USL Timbers from 2007 to 2010.

While the organization has invested in its academy program to develop younger talent within the Timbers umbrella, the team has also made significant investments in other areas designed to maximize player performance. The team hired John Cone as their director of sports sciences and John Galas as their performance analyst. The Timbers have struggled with fitness and mental fatigue at points in the 2012 season, so to see the team invest in areas to improve fitness regimens, video analysis, mental health issues, and overall health of the players is a huge step in the right direction. As Porter has indicated in media comments, the team has integrated video scouting and performance criteria into many aspects of their day to day coaching operation. While talent can get players to a certain point, the most successful integrate mental and physical training as well as preventative care to maximize effort and avoid injury.

View full sizeWith all of the changes in the team's organization, Technical Director Gavin Wilkinson can now focus upon his primary roles of scouting, player acquisition and player development. While he's been a target of much criticism over the years, I think the new direction will allow the former USL Timber player and coach to excel at his strengths - player evaluation and understanding the complexities of the MLS player acquisition system.Jennifer Kesgard, Community Blogger

The changes in coaching have allowed Technical Director Gavin Wilkinson to return back to his role as chief of scouting and main director of player development and acquisition. Wilkinson joined the Timbers in 2001 as a player, became an assistant coach in 2005, then moved to head coach in 2007 until the team moved to MLS in 2011, where he moved into his current role. Wilkinson did return to the bench in 2012 to finish out the season as interim coach, and became a lightning rod of criticism over the team's performance that season. While I appreciate Wilkinson's commitment to the team over the years and personally have enjoyed speaking with him regularly about the team, I have also wondered about many of the decisions made about player acquisitions or lineups during his coaching tenure. While I might not understand the information around certain decisions, his commitment to the organization is understood and he's been very open and honest at times about the criticism. Having a strong coaching staff should allow him to focus on scouting, and that is one area where Wilkinson has achieved success during his long tenure with the team.

Everyone that I've mentioned takes their lead from team owner Merritt Paulson, who has grown within his role tremendously. The Timbers owner has become quite famous for his Twitter exchanges and game day passion, but behind the scenes, he's invested much of his time and finances in building the Portland Timbers empire into one of the most solid clubs in MLS. The spring and summer will be busy with the first team, reserve team, various academy sides and the Timbers U-23 club, but the Timbers umbrella gains another team as the Portland Thorns FC begin play in the National Women's Soccer League. The Timbers have also become a pillar in the community for their various community efforts, and Paulson is often amongst the personnel on site as the Timbers interact with the public, giving fans a chance to see him for who he is – passionate, driven, candid, and desiring success. The team also benefits from the tremendous experience of their chief operation office, Mike Golub, who has been paramount in keeping the organization running smoothly in all operational aspects.

The Timbers will again offer up every match in 2013 to fans via television and radio through various outlets, although the full staff is not completely finalized at this time. The Timbers will again have a Partner Pub program for all away matches, giving fans a chance to interact with other Timbers fans while watching their team away from home. The Timbers Army remains one of the best in the league at away support, but setting up local venues to broadcast matches is a great fan experience. While lay by play man John Strong and analyst Robbie Earle has been busy lately appearing on various soccer broadcasts, it's expected they will remain with the club and appear regularly on broadcast. The team's radio affiliate, 750 AM the Game, continues to make every match available on radio while broadcasting a weekly radio program featuring Timbers news, notes and interviews. KPTV Channel 12 will also continue their weekly look at the Timbers, Timbers in 30, on Friday nights at 6:30 PM starting on March 9, as well as broadcast several matches on local TV. Suffice to say, the new setup should allow fans to follow their club no matter where their travel plans take them.